Machine for skinning and coring tomatoes



Mar. 13, 1923,

H. R. HARDING.

MACHINE FOR SK'INNING AND CURING TOMATOES.

FILED SEPT-12.1922.

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H. R. HARDING.

MACHINE FOR SKINNING AND CURING TOMATOES.

FILED SEPT 12 1922 Mar. 13, 1923.

H. R. HARDING.

Mar. 13, 1923;

' MACHINE FOR SKINNING AND CURING TOMATOES.

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FILED SEPT. 12. 1922.

H. R HARDiHG.

Mar. 13, 1923. 7 1,448,532.

H. R. HARDING.

MACHINE FOR SKINNING ANDCORING TOMATOES.

FILED SEPT. 12. 19 22. 11 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Mar; 13, 1923.

H. R. HARDING.

MACHINE FOR SKINNING AND CORING TOMATOES.

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FILED SEPT-12,1922.

H. HARDMG,

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Mar. 13, 19235 I 1,448,532. H. R. HARDING.-

MACHINE FOR SKINNING AND CORING TOMATOES.

FILED SEPT. 12. 1922. n SHEETSSHEET e.

H. R. HARDHG.

61cm mg Mar. 13, 1923.

Z 00 O0 :4 A i Q m D on A H mm H MACHINE FOR SKINNING AND BORING TOMATOES.

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FILED SEPT. 12. I922.

H R .HAQDIHG.

Mar. 13, 1923.

H. R. HARDING.

MACHINE FOR SKINNING AND CURING TOMATOES.

II SHETSSHEET Ii.

FILED SEPT. I2. 1922.

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Mar. 13, 1923.

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H. R. HARDING.

MACHlNE FOR SKINNING AND CURING TOMATOES.

FILED SEPT-2| 192!- @w mww WON @DN J Who z R. HARDING.

Mar.13,1923. H. R. HARDING.

' MACHINE FOR SKINNING AND BORING TOMATOES.

FILED SEPT. 12. 1922. H SHEETSSHEET 1!.

Wm H-R, HARDING.

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Application filed septemiler 12, 1922. Serial 110. 587,778.

T all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, HIRAM R. HAnuiNo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wihnington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain -new and useful Improvements in Machines for Skinning and Coring Tomatoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to. apparatus for re- 0 moving the cores andskins of fruits and vegetables preparatory to canning them. -The present improvements pertain to the type of machines covered by my prior U. S. Patents Nos. 1,356,447 dated Uetcber 19, 1921 and 1,423,421, dated July 18, 1922 for skinning and coring tomatoes.

In the machines covered by my said prior atents, the pulp of the tomatoes is sliced and forced through the meshes of a wire conveyor belt while the purpose of my present improvement is to remove only the cores and skins leaving the tomatoes whole and in their original form and shape.

In the following description of the mechanism employed shall refer to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a longitudinalsectionalview of the forward portion of my machine showing the washing and separating tank and the coring mechanisin; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are vertical sections on the lines 22, 33, and 4-4 respectively of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View of the rear portion of my machine showing the scalding and the skinninu mechanisms; Fig. 6 is a top plan view 7 of the coring mechanism looking down upon the portion indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 7-7 of Big. 6; Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of the coring devices; Fig. 9 is a section 'on the line 9-9 of Fig; 8; "Fig. 10 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 10--10 of Fig. 6; 11 is a side elevation, partly broken away, on the line 1 111 of Fig. 6; Fig. 12 is a; transverse sectional view on the line 12-12 of Fig. 11;

' Fig. 13 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the rear end of the machine; Fig. 14'

is a vertical sectional view onthe line 14-14 of Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a side elevationof the rear end of the machine shown in Fig. 13; Fig. 16 is a top plan view of'Fig. 15; Fig. 17 is a front elevation of one of the skinningdrums; Fig. 18 is a vertical. sectional view .trated in tank 10 supported upon cross bars 12 extendon the line 18.18 of Fig. 17 Fig; 19 is a vertical sectional view on the line 19 19 of Fig. 18; Fig. 20 1s a diagrammatic view taken on the line 20-20of Fig.18; Fig.21 ls-an enlarged detail sectional view of the corrugated rollers of thefskinning drums; and IFigs. 22,. 23 and 24 are detail views showing the construction and manner of fastening the tomato cups.

several operations in continuous succession, the fruit being conveyed successively from one mechanlsm to the next by an endless con- My machine is adapted to'carry on the a ma veyor which passes over drums 5 and 6 at 'either end of the machine and to which are secured the rows of cups 8 which carry the tomatoes. 7

The tomatoesare initially washed, heated or partiallv scalded and automatically insorted in the conveyor cupswith their stems upward by means of the apparatus illus- Fig. 1 which comprises a vat or ing between the uprights or-sta'n'dards 14 of the frame. The water in the tank is heated in any suitable manner, as by means of one or more perforated pipes 15 connected with a source of steam supply. The continuous conveyor, which comprises a sprocket chain 16-upon either side connected by transverse strips 17 reinforced by a plurality of par-' allel longitudinally. extending strips or bands 18 riveted to the transverse strips, the

latterrcarrying the cups. 8 which are equally spaced, passes downwardly into the vat and then obliquely upward until it gradually emerges from the water. As shown in Figs. 22 and .23, each cup consists of two strips crossed and riveted to the transverse strips of the conveyor, the stripswhich formthe cups heing'curved or bent upwardly at each side to form cup shaped recesses, the one which forms the rear of the cup being-bent up at 8 to insure the proper seat-inn of the tomatoes as they are gathered from the tank.

As the tomatoes are emptied into the vat or tank, they rise to the surface of the water with their-stems uppermost and are'causcd to float toward the rear of the tank by the circulation ofthe water produced by a propeller 21. The velocityof the water is regu.

lated to correspond with the speed of the conveyor belt by adjusting theheight of the.

hinged endof the cliaphrafrmi23'." ln'this drains back ""in'to the tank through the vAs the conveyor belt brings each successive row of tomatoes under the coring mechanism, the knives 'or cutters 26 descend quickly so that their points strike the cen-' ters of the cores, the knives then continuing to move with the tomatoes in an orbital path, indicated at 28, such that it completely removes the entire core and the surrounding hard green portions of the tomato and then moves quick y upward and backward to its initial position in time to descend upon the next succeeding row .of tomatoes. By referring to Figs. 8 and 9 it will be observed that the knives are each formed of a mating pair of blades which converge downwardly and inwardly until they meet at a point, being so shaped that they conform in outline to the eoreand portions of the tomato which are removed.

Theknives or cutters are each carried on a head 30 secured to the lower end of a stem 31 which telescopes at its upper end into a hollow shaft 32 connected by beveled gears 34 with the transverse shaft 35, the latter being connected through gears 36 and 37 with a driving shaft 38 connected with the driving motor. In this manner the knives are constantly rotated at a high. rate of speed. The knives are periodically moved downwardly by means of a crosshead 40 which is normally pressed upwardly against fixed collars 41 on the stems 31 by springs 42 which bear at their lower, ends against the heads 30. The outer ends of the cross-head 40 are connected by curved links 45 with walking beams 46 carried by standards 47, the oppos te ends of, the beams be ing connected by links 48 with eccentrics 49' on the shafts 50, the latter being 'connected' through gearing 51 with the drive shaft 38.

The oscillations of the beams 46 cause the cross-head 40 to move downwardly in the ways 40 and compress the springs 42 against the heads 30, thereby causing the cutter knives to descend upon the cores of the tomatoes. The guard or presser rings 52 which surround the knives are normally in advance of the latter, in the pos tion indi cated by dotted lines in Fig. 10, but they yield upwardly as the knives descend so that various sizes of tomatoes may be accommodated. The rings 52 serve to steady the tomatoes and maintain them in proper position during the coringoperation, and also constitute stops to limit the downward movement ofnthe cutters. The cores are thrown ,teeth meshing, with a driving 'out by centrifugal force from the rapidly rotating knives, falling into the refuse pan 58 and passing out of the discharge spout 59.

The lateral movement or component of the orbital motion of thecutters is effected by a slidingcarriage 56 upon which the cutters and their driving mechanism are mounted.

This carriage issl'ld to and fro upon the rollers 57, by means of links 60 pivoted to the standards 62 at their inner ends and bers 55, which are provided at each end with r'bs 55 in their bottom walls to form oil pans into which the rollers dip. The opposite pins or studs 63 may be connected by a cross rod 69. To permit the sliding movements of the carriage 56 and standards 62,-

thegear 37 carried by the bracket 62", is splined to the shaft 38 so that it may slide to and fro-thereon. The size and shape of the cam slots 64 are so coordinated with the walking beam 46 that their combined mo-vements will produce the desired orbital movement of the cutters for the purpose previ ously explained.

The cored tomatoes are then. conveyed through the steam scalder 70 in which the tomatoes are subjected to oppositely directed jets of steam issuing from the perforated branch pipes 71, connected by manifolds 72 withthe steam supply pi e 73. As they emerge from the steam jac ret, the tomatoes pass between jets of. water issuing from the pipes 75, WhlCh cool them and loosen the skins.

After leaving the scalder the conveyor belt passes around the end drum 6 and as the cups are tilted, the tomatoes fall into an inclined chute 78 and are guided by the baflies or partitions 79 into the skinning drums 80. These drums comprise an annular series of fluted or corrugated rollers the teeth of which intermesh, as shown in Fig.

21. The rollers 81 are preferably formed of rubber mounted upon. steel axles 82, v

which are revoluble in bearings 83, 84 and are provided with pinions 85, which interinesh. Every alternate axle also carries a pinion-86 which is engaged by the-internal teeth. of a gear ring 87, also having external ear 89. By this arrangement adjacent rollers rotate in opposite directions. Rings 90 and. 91- surround the bearings at either end of the drums and are connected by a' series -of spaced bars 92 forming a cage.

The drumsare revolubly mounted upon disk ,rollers 93 which engage the rings 90 and 91, the rollers being carried by a frame 95 which may be inclined to the desired angle by adjustable supporting bolts .96.

.. 65 taining the pulp whole, comprising a wash- The drums are provided with neeacaa gear rings'tl? secured to the rings 90 and which mesh with driving gears 98. In this manner the drums may be rotated slowly-upon their horizontal axes while the corrugated rollers around the periphery are rotated at a high rate of speed. The gears 89 and 9 8 are carried by short shafts 99 which are geared at 100 as shaft 101. the latter being connected to themain power shaft 102- b means of sprockets 103, 104 and s rocketc ain 105.

' Thebelt pu ey 110 which is connected to the engine or driving motor, is connected to the shaft 102 by means of a clutch 112, controlled by the shift lever 114-. The upper reach of the sprocket chains of the conveyor are supported upon trackways or ledges formed by angle irons 13 secured to the frame supports, while upon the lower reach the chains pass over sprocket wheels 19. The cored and scalded tomatoes pass from the conveyor through the chute 78 into the skinningdrums in the manner indicated in Fig. 13. As previously pointed out, these drums slowly revolve so that the tomatoes 1 are tumbled about and are caused to take a passing1 mechanism for slipping zigzag or serpentine path as they; move through the drums and pass out into the delivery chute 115. The skins have been previously loosened as the tomatoes .assed through the steam scalder and c illing sprays and consequently as soon as they begin to roll, about over the rapidly rotating corrugated rollers, which rotate in pairs in opposite directions, the skins are pinched and quickly snatched from the tomatoes, out bet-ween the rollers and falling into t ewaste pan 116. This .action is facilitated by streams of water issuing from a series of perforated pipes 117 located above the drums which not only cleanses the rollers but also produces a suction as it passes out between the intermeshing ribs of the corrugated rollers.

From theabove description, it will be seen that I have devised an organized mechanism which automatically subjects each tomato individually to a. series of operations which results in removing the core and skin,

leaving the pulp intact in its'original form and shape. Each tomato is carried from.

the washing tank in an individual holder or receptaclewhich maintains it in proper position with the stem uppermost while being subjected to the coring, scalding and chilling or-skin loosening operations. The the skins from the pulp operates with-such deftness and with such rapidity that the pulp or meat remains absolutely uninjured and the tomatoes are delivered in perfect whole condition.

1. An organized mechanism for removing the core and skin from tomatoes while maining tank, means to segregate the tomatoes with their cores uppermost, means to remove the cores, means to loosen the skins, means toremove the skins while leaving the pulp whole, and means to convey the individua tomatoes 1 from the tank and present them separately .in succession to said several means in a continuous operation.

2. An organized mechanism for removing the core andskin from tomatoes while maintaining the pulp whole, comprising-means to segregate and arrange aligned series with their cores uppermost, means to remove the cores while maintaining the pulp whole and intact, means to.

to remove the skins,

loosen the skins, means and a conveyor having separate receptacles to receive the individual tomatoes and to present them successively to said several means.

, 3. In a machine for removing the cores and skins from tomatoes, a. coring mechanism, comprising a cutter, means for continuously rotating it, means for conveying tomatoes beneath said cutter, and means for moving said cutter in'a'n orbital path, whereby the cores may be removed during their continuous movement.

4. In a machine for removing the cores and skins from tomatoes, a coring mechanism, comprising a cutter, means for continuously'rotating it, means for conveying tomatoes beneath said cutter, causing said cutter tomatoes successively and to move laterally therewith during the coring operation.

5.-In a machine for removing the cores and skins from tomatoes, a coring mechanism, comprising a: cutter, means for. continuously rotating it, means for conveying tomatoes beneath said cutter, means for mov- 'ing said cutter in an orbital path, whereby the cores may be removed during their continuous movement and yieldable means to 'hold and position the tomatoes while the core is being removed.

6. In a machine of the-type described, a skinning mechanism comprising a rotatable drum having an annular'series of rollers constituting the shell of the drum, and means for rotating adjacent rollers in opposite'directions.

7. In a machine'of the type described, a skinning mechanism comprising a rotatable drum having anannular series ofrollers constituting the shell of the drum, means for rotatingadj acent rollers in opposite directions, and means for rotating the drum. 8.: In a machine of the type described, a skinningmechanism comprising a rotatable drum having an annular series of corrugated or ribbed rollers constituting the shell of the drum and means" for rotating adjacent rollers in opposite directions.

and means. descend upon the tothe tomatoes in.

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' means for projecting streams of water upon said rollers. Y

10. 'In a machine of the type described, a skinning mechanism comprising a rotatable drum having an annular serles of corrugated rollers constituting the shell of the drum, the

corrugations of adjacent rollers intermeshmg, and means for rotating adjacent rollers 11. An organized mechanism forremovcomprising a cutting means to 'removethe cores While maintaining the pulp whole and intact, and conveyor mechanism operating to present the tomatoes to said several means in a continuous operation.

12. In a machine as set 'forth in claim 11,

WhOlB and tzopr said coring means comprising cam mechanism operatln to cause the cutter to traverse an orbital path 13. In a machine as'set forth in claim 11, said coring means comprising cam mechanism operating to cause the cutter to trav ers'e an orbital path, and to rotate the cutter during the cutting operation.

14. An organized mechanism for coring tomatoes, comprising cutting means to remove the cores While-maintaining the pulp intact, means for conveying the tomatoes continuously during the coring operation, and means for causing said cutting means to traverse an orbital path relatively of the conveyor.

In testimony whereof I a fiix my signature.

HIRAM R. HARDING. 

